novelburst
Chapter 52
Chapter 52
[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 52
Whether or not I could trust her wasn’t really a big issue.
Since I had insomnia, I couldn’t sleep deeply anyway, and she was currently being discreetly watched by Muyeong and the Death Knight.
I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes.
There were still guests remaining, but neither she nor I were the type to care much about that.
Then it happened.
“Hey. What are you doing?”
I frowned as I saw her crawling onto my bed.
“What else? Just doing what needs to be done.”
Objectively speaking, she was quite beautiful.
Even if I considered both my past and present lives, it would be hard to find a woman as stunning as her.
But that didn’t mean she could suddenly push her way into my bed.
As I tried to raise my body cautiously, she swiftly lunged and grabbed hold of me.
So, you’re finally showing your true colors, huh?
You damn woman!
Even though my eyes were closed, I could feel her gaze fixed precisely on me.
“Aren’t we in a mutually beneficial relationship? If you act like this, the deal is off.”
“What’s there to regret? Just hold my hand.”
She interlocked her fingers with mine and quietly gazed down at me.
Annoyed by her joke, I was about to yell at her and jerk my body upright.
And then—
“Huh?”
She had completely disappeared, and the star-filled night sky outside the window had been replaced by a bright, sunny morning.
“What the… Librarian.”
At my call, words floated into view.
[Yes.]
“What just happened?”
[It’s simple. You had a very comfortable and deep sleep. So deep that you weren’t even aware you had fallen asleep.]
I stared blankly at the words.
I slept?
Without even realizing it?
Did I just lose consciousness all of a sudden and wake up now?
As if to confirm my thoughts, more words appeared.
[The moment you held her hand, your insomnia was temporarily neutralized.]
At that, I looked down at myself.
Now that I thought about it, the usual irritation caused by my insomnia was completely gone.
“So, her healing power is this strong?”
[Her healing ability defies the conventional definition. I recommend that you be cautious of her true nature.]
The Librarian seemed strangely wary of Luna Basilin Raphaelia.
Regardless of that, the disappearance of my insomnia was enough to make me reconsider.
It seemed I had taken in quite the remarkable guest.
“Hmmm… Is it already morning? I think I’ll get some more sleep.”
Of course, Luna Basilin’s insane way of thinking was anything but normal.
* * *
“Get a grip! Do you realize that there are engagement talks going on between you and Mielephon, you bastard?”
That was the first thing I heard as soon as I arrived at the dining hall for breakfast.
“I only received a simple healing act.”
“Healing? Don’t tell me your insomnia is still bad?”
“Well, yeah.”
At my answer, Melissa pursed her lips.
“It seems it won’t be cured instantly. I’ll need at least a few months of continuous neutralization.”
Hearing my calm response, Melissa let out a sigh.
“Fine. Just be careful not to cause a scandal. Even if it’s a fake engagement, you’re the one who started it.”
“I know that well.”
“If things go south with Mielephon, it’ll be a huge hassle.”
She shook her head in exasperation.
“More importantly, there’s something I really need to discuss with you today.”
With a look that said she had been holding back for too long, she pulled out an ornament.
It was none other than The Queen’s Twilight, a national treasure that had disappeared 200 years ago, given to me by Luna Basilin.
The mere revelation of its existence could spark wars between nations blinded by greed.
“You may or may not know this, but a long time ago, two nations went to war over a national treasure. Right now, it belongs to the empress of the Pascalia Empire.”
That alone made it significant, but The Queen's Twilight was an even greater artifact.
“There’s basically no way to sell something like this normally. The moment it’s known, nations will scramble to claim it.”
She hesitated for a moment before estimating its value.
“You could get at least hundreds of billions in sel for it.”
The amount was so absurd that it left me speechless.
It was a fortune beyond the wildest dreams of most people.
“No, this doesn’t make sense. It’s just an ornament. I get it being worth a few billion or even tens of billions, but hundreds of billions?”
Melissa nodded at my bewilderment.
“Of course. Do you know why it’s so famous?”
“Why?”
“Look here.”
She carefully held The Queen's Twilight as if afraid it might break, showing me the gem embedded in its center, which emitted an otherworldly light.
“This is a Bartnel gemstone. Have you ever heard of it?”
“No.”
“Yeah, I’ve only heard rumors about it, and I never believed it actually existed. Do you know why? Because this is the only one in the world.”
The value of gemstones is determined by their rarity.
But if it’s not just rare, but literally one of a kind?
“Before, I said that it could cover our territory’s annual budget. But to be honest, that was an understatement. Its real value is in the hundreds of billions.”
“This thing is worth that much?”
[Translator - Night]
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I reached out curiously.
“Hey! What if you break it? Do you even know your own strength?”
“What are you talking about? I can control my strength.”
I took The Queen's Twilight from her and examined it.
“Hm? There’s an unusual power imbued in it. It’s different from the holy power used by priests.”
“It carries the blessing of an Angel.”
"Angel?"
Luna Basilin, who had been gulping down beer and munching on desserts since early in the morning, explained.
"It's an artifact imbued with the blessing of an archangel. It's similar to the holy power used by priests, but fundamentally different."
She casually revealed this high-level information.
"Possessing it grants immunity to disease and significantly enhances resistance to poison."
Intrigued by her explanation, I examined the object closely.
This wasn’t something I could replicate.
"Are angels really that incredible?"
"Nope. They're nothing more than useless puppets that can’t do anything on their own. They act according to the will of the gods, execute all commands, and enforce all laws. They lack self-awareness and can't make decisions for themselves. Just tools."
Archangels.
In the Holy Kingdom, they were described as God's ultimate representatives.
But Luna Basilin, who was herself an angel, didn’t seem to hold them in high regard.
Whether that was because she had fallen from grace or because she had always felt this way was uncertain.
"You said this belonged to a legion-class angel? Their master."
I showed her the Hand of Fury I had received from her, and she nodded.
"Among angels with self-awareness, they are the highest-ranking. But even they are nothing compared to an archangel."
An artifact imbued with the blessing of an archangel.
"The Holy Kingdom must be desperate to get it back."
"There are even rumors that, before this item disappeared, the Holy Kingdom was considering launching a holy war to obtain it. Anyway, back to the main point. If word gets out that we have this..."
She carefully placed Queen's Twilight into a box for safekeeping before continuing.
"...it could throw not just our territory, but the entire Bata Kingdom into war."
A fortune in gold wouldn’t start a war.
But an artifact could.
"That's why we need to get rid of it as quietly and discreetly as possible."
But was that even possible?
It wasn’t as if we could just sell something this valuable at a market stall.
"So, I’ve been thinking. There's a massive, highly secretive auction in the Empire. You can only enter through personal connections, and absolute anonymity is guaranteed."
"You're not saying I should go, are you?"
"Of course, who else would go? Me?"
She reached out her hand.
"Go to the Empire. Attend the auction. Sell this thing off."
A cursed chalice—deadly to its owner.
If we managed to sell it, the House of Cascadia would become unimaginably wealthy overnight.
And if word got out, not only foreign nations but even factions within Bata Kingdom might start scheming.
Her plan was logical, but I saw two major problems.
"There are two issues."
"What are they?"
"First, how do we know this is even real? The place where it was sealed off was isolated for ages."
So how could a mere 200-year-old artifact have ended up there?
"That’s... not wrong. But didn’t we already establish that some people had entered and exited that space before us?"
"Through dreams, yes. But physical objects are a different story."
She fell silent at my words.
She hadn’t considered that.
And then there was the second problem.
"Even if the auction is secret, how do we get an invitation? Just waltz in and ask to join while waving this thing around? That would completely defeat the point of keeping it hidden. Wasn’t Black Friday an auction you could only access through personal connections?"
Melissa shook her head.
"That part isn't a problem. Think about the family you're currently discussing an engagement with."
One of the Empire’s most prestigious swordsmanship families.
The House of Mielephon, the lineage of the Sword Saint.
Ah.
I nodded in understanding.
"So, all we need to do now is verify whether it’s real or not?"
Melissa and I both turned our gazes toward Luna Basilin, who was still chugging beer.
"Got any ideas?"
I pressed her, but she simply shrugged and emptied her mug.
"I dunno. Whether it's real or not. Honestly, I don't care. But if it’s said to be blessed by an archangel, it probably is. Their blessings aren’t given out lightly."
A fake imbued with an archangel's blessing?
Impossible.
And even if it were fake, it didn’t matter.
The Eternal Jewel, Bartnel was real, and the archangel’s blessing was genuine—
Even ignoring historical value, that alone made it as valuable as Queen's Twilight.
"Now that you mention it, yeah. There's no way an artifact with an archangel’s blessing could be fake."
[There is a high probability that statement is true.]
Even the Librarian agreed.
Which meant that I had no choice but to go myself.
"Remember, if word spreads about this, we’re in for a real headache. You don’t want that, do you? Because I definitely don’t."
"Unfortunately, we’re on the same page about that."
"Then I’ll leave it to you. Bring back some good desserts on your way back."
"Got it."
And so, accompanied only by my sleep pillow—no, my healer, Luna Basilin—I set off for the Mielephon territory in the Empire.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]